1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of vacuum cleaners that use cyclone separators with removable debris-collecting receptacles.
2. Description of Related Art
Upright vacuum cleaners that use cyclone action to separate dust and dirt from the airflow through the vacuum cleaner are well known. A mechanical issue addressed by the prior art is how to secure and release the reusable dirt- and dust-collecting receptacle (“dust cup”) that sits under the cyclone chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,191,490 to Lee et al. discloses a top exit cyclone assembly including soil collection receptacle at a lower portion thereof and having a sliding groove formed on the bottom surface that confronts the floor of an accommodation recess on the handle. A guide member is located at the lower end of the soil collection receptacle, wherein the guide member is formed with a pair of guide projections at opposite sides and an operation lever adapted to move the guide member up and down to raise and lower the soil collection receptacle in sealing relation to the cyclone assembly. The guide member moves up and down as the operation lever is pushed and pulled horizontally relative to the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,732,406 to Oh shows a removable dust cup (“barrel”) that slides out from under the cyclone chamber to be emptied. The dust barrel is locked in place and released by a rotating handle that directly engages a slanted, spiraling recess on the bottom of the dust barrel. Rotating the handle in a first direction raises the dust barrel toward the bottom of the cyclone chamber, locking the barrel in place; rotating the handle the opposite direction lowers the dust barrel from the cyclone chamber for emptying.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,735,816 to Oh et al. shows a similar removable dust cup (“container”) raised and lowered into and out of engagement with the cyclone chamber by a rotating lever. The rotating lever raises and lowers the dust cup through an intermediate, non-rotating locking disc operating against the bottom of the dust container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,991,667 to Yang et al. shows a dust cup (“contaminant collecting receptacle”) supported on a coaxial filter case to provide a direct suction path between the motor below it and the cyclone chamber above it. The filter case provides an extra stage of filtration and dust separation for the air exiting the cyclone chamber through the dust cup into the motor housing. The filter case is securely fixed to an annular lever/seal member that surrounds and seals the airflow path from the filter to the motor housing; the dust cup is detachable from the filter case. The annular lever/seal member is mounted to rotate as a unit on a cam structure on the motor housing cover, raising the lever/seal assembly and filter case up and down, and thus raising and lowering the dust cup into and out of engagement with the cyclone chamber.